A Sealed Deal
by Ray The Red
Summary: The Art of Sealing was a well of almost unlimited potential; with a burning desire, an iron clad will and some blood almost anything was possible. Of course Jiraiya, at 13, didn't know that. Instead of reverse summoning himself to Mount Myouboku he summoned someone else and it changed the world. -An SI/OC from an outside point of view.-
1. Chapter 1: The Summoning

_The Summoning_

The art of sealing was something that, whilst it did have it laws and rules, had almost unlimited potential. It could create new dimensions as per the storage seal, or make a paper turn into an explosive force that could kill you in an instant. It could even, with the summoning jutsu, create a pathway to a different place or even dimension. It was therefore a highly respected thing to be a master of it, and after just having seen Sarutobi Sensei summon a monkey Jiraiya realized that he wanted to be able to do it.

So, that's why he was here in Training Ground 3, ready to try his hand at this summoning business. He'd looked up the hand signs, which were only four in total (too easy!), and a little bit of its history. All in all it looked awesome and he wanted to have a cool, powerful summon at his beck and call. Screw monkeys, he'd get something even better! Oh yes, something like a dragon or a tiger, or even a bear would do. Hell, if he were honest anything would do, really, just as long as he did this and succeeded at something before Orochimaru. Bah Orochimaru – the genius everyone praised and lauded. He'd show them! He'd show Sarutobi-sensei and that flat chested demon that was Tsunade.

Having she demons as his summons wouldn't be such a bad idea either, now he come think of it. He grinned at that thought. Hell had no fury like a woman scorned right? They would need to be more…mature of body though. With lecherous thoughts of hot women on his mind (doing his bidding because that's what summons did) he started doing the justu.

His chakra responded to his call, molding into the form that the hand signs required it. He bit his thumb, drawing the blood required and his palm slammed into the ground, his brash voice shouting, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!". Smoke filled the immediate area, making him cough and his eyes water.

Well, the good news was he hadn't blown himself up, the bad news was that he'd failed. Or, so he'd though until he heard somebody or _something _else coughing within the smoke. It, whatever it was, was also cursing quite a bit. By the Great Sage, had he actually succeeded on his first try?

A breeze on this fine spring day blew away the last of the smoke and what he saw standing there made his jaw drop and his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Oh, he had succeeded alright. Beyond his wildest dreams and expectations.

Right there stood a girl – a beautiful, beautiful girl. Black as dark as midnight strung in a pony tail that reached only a bit past her shoulders. One of the shoulders showed. It was sleek with tanned skin just like his but it was so much more pristine – not as peasantry. The white shirt she was wearing was wide, and hung around her frame, but at the same time is showed off just the right hints of her body's contours. Her hands were dainty little thing, he could even make that out from three feet away. They were also wet, a few droplets falling down. His eyes followed them.

The legs were in full view, she only wearing a red unmentionable, and they were showing the same flawless skin that he had only seen in gravure magazines and what he imagined royals looked like. They weren't very long, but then they needn't be. His eyes traveled back up, passing along her rather short neck, and looked at her face. Her eyes were almond shaped, and the color of them was as dark as his own. Plumb lips formed an 'oh' below a slightly round nose. She was as exotic as it could get in Konoha. If anything she looked like she hailed from Kumo.

She was looking at him with much the same shock as he was taking her in. That moment of silence seemed to last for an eternity, this first encounter. And then it was broken as another breeze came through the clearing.

Her eyes so wide before with shock narrowed down into slits. He knew that look very well, Tsunade had worn it more than once. She pulled down her wide shirt to cover her unmentionable, and she opened her mouth.

"Who the fuck are you!"

It wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear, but her accent did tell him that she was not from Konoha. At all. Kumo was still an option, seeing as he didn't know that particular accent. He ignored the little warble that showed she was still nervous because that accent could mean only one thing; he had summoned her. It was such an absurd thought that he didn't believe it even if he wanted to. It had been a joke, a bad one at that. He had fully expected to fail.

This…it…it simply couldn't be true.

He put his fingers into a familiar form, called forth his chakra, and shouted "Kai!"

Nothing changed, the air didn't start to waver and she didn't start to disappear. She was still standing there, as solid, exotic and angry as she had been a second ago. He still heard her breath, which was rather quick, and if he focused felt her civilian level chakra. Her eyes had been flicking from side to side, roaming the training field and finally landing back on him.

"Alright Kid, Kai, whatever your name is w-where are we." She licked her lips, and again her eyes darted around.

There was anger there, yes, but there was also fear. This girl, who was certainly a few years older than him, he put her at 15 or 16, was afraid. She was shaking, though she was hiding it rather well. Whether from the cool breeze that passed every once in a while or the fact that she was in an unknown place he didn't know. Maybe it was both. It also confirmed any doubt he had left; she was not from Konoha and not an illusion.

She was as real as it got.

He was still blown away by this very fact and his mouth just worked up and down as he tried to say a sentence – any sentence really. Because how do you explain to a person that you just summoned them from their very home? Hell, how was he going to convince people that he'd actually summoned her – it was impossible! Chakra laced creatures with whom one signed a contract, sure, but a human? That was simply unheard of. Ah fuck, what a mess!

"I know you can speak! Answer me!" This time the tone was more urgent, more powered by fear than anger.

He took a deep breath. He was a ninja and ninja's dealt with the unexpected all the time. It was your reaction and your reaction time that saved you from death more oft than not. It was time to react and not the time to panic. Time to panic would come later. Right now he needed her not to panic. He had no idea at all what she could do, civilian chakra or not – she was still a summon.

His summon, maybe, if she trusted him.

"My name's not Kai, it's Jiraiya. And where you are – where you find yourself - is Training ground three of Konoha Gakure." He would be polite, Keigo all the way even if it felt all weird coming out of his mouth. Too many words for just such a simple sentence. Bah, there was a reason he always spoke plain.

She laughed, it wasn't a particularly sane one. "You have got to be kidding me? The Village Hidden in the leaves?" she scoffed, "Please if you're going to lie, lie better. Don't bring figments of imagination into it. I do have to give you credit for dressing the part, though." She crossed her arms, apparently finding it safe to do so. She looked more resolute, her eyes no longer flitting to the trees that surrounded them. "Where are we truly."

He filed that away for later, even if he had no idea what she was rambling about. He wondered what part he was apparently playing. In any case, she was still his summon, if only by the act of having summoned her. He would be damned if he let her go.

"Konoha, we are truly in Konoha my lady."

"I ask you again, do not lie to me. Tell the truth, _boy._" That last part was said bitingly, anger once again the underscore of her words. She had a fire, that was for sure.

"I say again, I do not lie. You are, perhaps, as you say not in Konoha proper, but you are in her territory. Of that I can assure you." Maybe those classes on politics and the correct language to use whilst escorting guest of high rank was worth something after all.

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Very well, _Jiraiya_ say we are in Konoha, as you claim and you are who you claim to be, how did I get here." She looked positively sure that her argument was solid. Irrefutable she stood there, arms crossed and a cocky smirk on her lips. It looked devastatingly hot in her current attire.

He gulped, heat rising to his cheeks at the sight as well as at the prospect of having to tell her how she had gotten where she had. Oh well, there was nothing for it.

" Well…it seems I have…summoned you here by accident."

She blinked. And then she blinked again. "Summoned?"

"Yes."

"You are joking, right?"

" I am afraid I am not."

She truly looked at him this time, and there was a flash of some sort of recognition there, and of a dawning horror. "Jiraiya, how old are you?"

"I am 13, my lady."

"And this is the first time you have tried the summoning justu?"

He nodded, "That is correct."

She was just looking at him then, a gob smacked look on her face. "And you summoned me?"

"By accident, yes."

The wooden poles still stood behind him, and she walked towards them and put her hand on the one in the middle. Against the one he had been tied to. She didn't look at him, but still spoke to him; "And you haven't, say, summoned a toad before me."

He raised an eyebrow. That was oddly specific. "I assure you I would have remembered if I had."

She groaned and put her head against the pole which had many kunai marks embedded in it. "A dream…that's all this is. A dream." She suddenly bashed her head against the pole, hard. She cried out, and stumbled backwards and fell down. He wasn't fast enough, shocked to see her do it.

He rushed to her side and saw the bump already forming, but that wasn't what concerned him. No, it was the look on her face. Tears were gathering in her eyes, and she was trembling. "It has to be a dream…a dream, has to be."

She stretched out her hand, and touched his hair, the white tufts touching her fingers which were still a little bit wet and as dainty as he had known they would be. Suddenly he knew what she was doing. She might not have said the word Genjutsu, but it is what she thought she was entangled in and she was verifying reality in the only ways she knew. That's what she had meant by the part he was playing and the comment about a figment of imagination.

The realization dawned on her that he was truly substantial. That he was not simply a mirage. He saw her eyes cloud over with tears, and she mumbled. "It's not, is it."

And he shook his head, "No, it's not."

With that the exotic, nameless girl, he had summoned broke down and cried. He after a while put an arm around her shoulder, not knowing how to comfort an older, not fully clad girl emotionally unstable girl. She accepted and leaned into him after the worst had passed. She still sniffed and hiccupped, but it was an improvement.

She wiped away a few stray tears and said, "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have had to see that." She pushed herself away, her pride obviously refusing the acknowledgment of his support but still thankful for it. It was more than he'd ever get out of Tsunade if she'd been in this situation. She would have punched him hard, as always.

"No it's okay, if anyone should say sorry it is me."

She smiled a wobbly smile at that declaration, not looking at him but the emotion somehow still carried. They sat there, looking at the sun high in the sky, and the leaves in the breeze. One of them was blown to her, and she caught it.

She looked at it and said, "So, Konoha eh?"

He nodded, "Yes, Konoha. May I ask your name?"

Again that wobbly smile appeared, "You may." She looked at him, red rimmed eyes looking into his, "My name is Harumi."

* * *

**AN:** This was supposed to be a crack and humor filled one-shot and yet it evolved into something that was a bit more than that. The chapters, when this particular idea strikes, probably won't be very long (about this length). Really, we'll see where this one takes me because I have no idea. Also the title might change. Serioulsy, if any of you have any good ideas let me know.

Harumi: Spring Beauty

Cheers,

Ray the Red


	2. Chapter 2: Something Stupid

_Something Stupid_

"So…has this ever happened before?"

Jiraiya glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, "As far as I'm aware it hasn't."

Harumi – a fitting name, he thought - sighed and nodded her head, " I feared as much."

He twisted a blade of grass between his fingers and asked her something that he'd been wondering for a little while, " Am I right in assuming, then, that this hasn't happened to anyone of uhhh…"

A strained smile, he would later categorize it as cynical and bitter, appeared on her face. It was very different from the wobbly smile she'd shown him some ten minutes ago. It was sharper, that's what it was. She wasn't looking at him though, rather at the leaf that been blow to her.

"Of my kind?" He nodded. "No, not officially."

"And unofficially?"

"Unofficially there are stories that something like this can occur – has occurred, even. Some are more believable than others, but in the end they are just that; stories. To bend time and space is only possible in the realm of gods and imagination, but I suppose I, too, now walk there."

Her eyes were still looking at the leaf, and boy was it an intense look, but he had the feeling that Harumi was staring at something that was much farther away than that. "Lost like a leaf adrift in the wind," she turned those eyes on him, those almond eyes, and asked, " Can you perhaps show me the way back home?"

Jiraiya met them and said, " I don't know, but I can try. Is it on a map?"

She turned her eyes back onto that leaf, " Yes, but not any that your village possesses. "

Well, it wasn't accurate, but it was something. She was not from the elemental nations or, at least, not from a part that could easily be found on a map. He knew, for example, that the home of the monkeys was in the elemental nations but that only the Sarutobi knew how to get there. This was probably something similar.

He was about to ask what the place was called when she spoke; "You summoned me though, right?"

"Yes."

"Can't you, you know, unsummon me?"

"You mean reverse summon?"

"Yes, that. Whatever. Can you or can you not?"

He stared at her like she'd grown two heads. "I just _accidentally_ summoned you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

She paused, opened her mouth and promptly shut it again. "….You make a good point."

He felt kind of smug until he realized that that was kind of a backhanded compliment. Besides, wasn't she the summon here. Shouldn't she like know this summoning stuff inside out, even if it were just stories?

" Wait, can't you just do it yourself?"

She gave him a deadpan look, "Would I still be here if I could?"

"….No."

"Exactly."

Neither spoke for a few moments, both lost in thought. Harumi shifted, and twisted at her shirt. Another few minutes passed before he heard her huff. Then a not so indiscreet cough. He looked at her.

A blush graced her cheeks as she said, "I don't know if you _noticed_ but I'm here in a shirt and my underwear. It's rather chilly."

At that blunt reminder, the red unmentionables very viewable to him, his face became heated as well. A lecherous grin appeared.

"Right, underwear."

She pulled down her shirt over them, her eyes once again narrowed. "Yes, Jiraiya, underwear. If I'm going to have to stay here, at least for a while, I'll do so comfortably."

"Looks very comfortable to me."

"And socially acceptable."

"You sure Harumi?" He waggled his eyebrows.

She glared, "Very sure. Now wipe that stupid grin off of your face and get me something warmer or I swear to god I'll kick you in the nuts!"

Ahh, the beautiful and familiar sound of feminine fury.

* * *

They walked across the field and came to the red bridge that connected training ground 3 to the rest of Konoha. Harumi stopped when she stood on it, and seemed to be fighting something within herself.

Emotions too rampant for his meager training passed through her eyes, until she finally continued forwards. Once she hit the opposite banks he heard her whisper, but what she actually said was lost to him. He didn't pry.

It was as the woods started thinning that he saw her getting more nervous and nervous with each step she took until she stopped. She crossed her arms, "I refuse to go any further in my current state of dress."

"Well be that as may, standing here won't help you any in regard to getting more socially acceptable clothes."

She nodded, "Exactly. That's why I'll stay put, and you'll go get them for me."

He blinked. Did he just hear that correctly? "You want me to what?"

"Get me clothes that aren't my sleeping wear whilst I stay put."

He mirrored her, also crossing his arms. "No."

Yes he took some pity on her, but he wasn't about to go gallivanting into a women's clothing store and buy stuff for her. Besides, they wouldn't let him in anyways, one of the shop owners had caught him when he tried to steal some lacey underwear. Multiple times. It's what had inspired him to learn his Transparent Escape Jutsu. And boy was it useful. Very, very useful…

"What do you mean no?"

"Well, unless no has a different meaning where you come from, it means exactly what it means. Besides, why don't you just apply a henge so it looks like you have clothes on?"

She stared at him as if he'd just proposed she should instead run naked through the streets. Oh that'd be a view… He shook the nice image away as he had apparently broken his summon.

Harumi was looking at her hands like she'd never seen them before. Her eyebrows were creased in confusion, showcasing the red mark on her forehead where she'd banged her head. She was also biting her lower lip in as if she wasn't sure she liked the pair of hands she'd been given.

Finally she seemed to come to the decision when she slightly nodded and balled them into fists. With uncertainty written plainly across her features she proceeded to very slowly, with meticulous care, she make the hand signs required for the henge.

She held her fingers in the ram position even if she herself was shaking. She had her eyes tightly shut, like the younger kids at the academy do. The air around her legs shimmered a dark blue just a second before it faded away.

Dark eyes opened in shock, and he heard her gasp. Harumi sank to her knees, hands out on the ground in front of her. Her breathing was rapid, and when he rushed over and put his hand on her back he felt the rapid beat of her heart.

"Are you alright?"

Off course she wasn't, she was having a panic attack and a bad one at that. As per usual when one has a panic attack she didn't respond, just kept hyper ventilating. Hyper ventilating was bad as it made people– Harumi slumped down onto the road – faint.

Well, wasn't this just peachy. He had an unconscious, scantily dressed foreigner on his hands. A foreigner he'd summoned. One who was, apparently, prone to panic attacks when doing jutsu.

Just wonderful!

* * *

Softly Jiraiya put Harumi on his bed. He walked into the small bathroom that he had and looked into the mirror.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

A valid question as he really had no idea. He'd debated about going to the hospital only to shoot that particular option down rather swiftly; he'd have to explain her presence as well as the situation. He didn't want to, not like that anyway.

The next logical step had been Tsunade, but Harumi's clothes, or rather lack thereof, made that option very unfavorable. Not mention that that would generate even more questions so that, too, had become a no. Therefore the only place left was his home; his small, humble apartment.

He'd then had to think about how the hell he was going to go about that, because taking a knocked out, pajama-wearing girl to your apartment totally didn't raise red flags. In the end it'd actually been rather simple.

He'd put a genjutsu over her and himself that'd made it look like he was carrying a new rug – which, he did indeed needed to buy, now that he thought about it. It had gone off without a hitch.

He'd been able to run at top speed, so he'd made it back home in record time. Really, Harumi was very light and easy to carry. It had actually kind of surprised him, seeing as she was a few years older than him. It also kind of made him feel like he was in a fairy tale, the gallant prince saving the princess. The fact that he also got a few nice looks down into her shirt totally made it worth it.

"Something stupid that's what you're doing. So you got her here, now what?"

Another good question. He knew that eventually he had to tell people about his little accident, but he didn't want to. Not yet. He wanted to try and fix it himself first. Sure, it might be stupid to go it alone but this was his own mess. His alone, and therefore it was his responsibility. Plus the possibility of a contract was always still up in the air.

Besides, he'd promised her he'd try and get her home – he knew what it felt like to lose it. He wasn't about to let her lose hers forever. Not on his account he wasn't.

Confident dark eyes met his visage, "Now we do whatever we can to get ourselves a loyal summon."

* * *

**AN:** Hey folks, here's another short installment. Anyhow, I was wondering if for the next chapter I should do it from Harumi's point of view or keep it all in Jiraiya's? Also if I do go for the alternating POV's; does it matter if this is done in a pattern (for example, 2 chapters Jiraiya, 2 chapters Harumi) or just random?

Let me know what you guys think!

Cheers,

Ray the Red


	3. Chapter 3: Blood Oath

_Blood Oath_

Jiraiya was reading 'Rudimentary Sealing' in his living room, if it could be called such, when he heard the first signs of life from his bed room. It seemed like Harumi had finally woken up, and about time too. Three hours had passed since her little panic attack and he'd actually started contemplating bringing her to the hospital, consequences be damned, because maybe it had been something a little worse. To lessen his stress he'd gone out real quick to get groceries so they had enough food for the both of them as well as some clothes for her. Still the thought of her waking up without him there had only heightened his stress so he'd gotten back in a hurry and to reading.

He closed the rather boring book, put it on the coffee table on which lay a few gravure magazines, and got up from his comfortable position on his ratty couch. He opened his bedroom ready to greet her with a witty comment when he once again saw the girl crying, though it wasn't as hysterical as it had been on training ground 3. She was rolled up as ball, head between her knees, slowly rocking back and forth.

Her head snapped up when he entered, and he saw the resignation flash through her dark eyes. Seemed he'd just confirmed once again that she was still stuck in a place that wasn't here home. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. They snapped open and whilst they were still sad they were also resolute.

"I take it this is your room?"

"It is."

She nodded and got out of her fetal position and stretched her legs. She looked around the room, eyes roving from his bedside cabinet to the model posters on his wall. She smirked, apparently finding the poster of a busy blonde in an orange bikini quite amusing. She walked to the window, the one looked out on the North district Konoha, in the direction of the Inuzuka Compound.

The sun was no longer as high in the sky as it had been when he'd accidentally summoned her and she noticed, as she asked, "How long was I out?"

He answered, "Give or take three hours. By the way, what happened? You got a special chakra system or something?"

At this she laughed, once again looking at her hands. "Something like that, yeah."

"Care to explain it so I can maybe help you more next time, seeing as I'm no med-nin myself."

At this she looked at him with her brow furrowed in confusion, "Yeah, well why didn't you just take me to one? Hell you could've taken me to Tsunade for that matter…"

His eyes widened at the casual mention of his team mate's name. She shouldn't know it, he hadn't told it to her. Tsunade's prowess in the realm of healing even less, seeing as it was a personal quirk and not very public knowledge. So then the question was; how did she know it? He was the one who narrowed his eyes this time, "How do you know that name?"

Her eyes widened, " I, I …"

He shot forward, had her pressed against the wall with a kunai to her throat within seconds. She squeaked, almond shaped eyes fearfully eyeing the tool that was pressed against her artery. "I ask you again, Harumi; How do you know her name!"

She swallowed hard, and closed her eyes. She was shaking like crazy, barely resisting but hestill held her up against that wall because now he was going over things. Perhaps he hadn't accidentally summoned her, perhaps she'd summoned herself to that spot and been playing him?

She opened them up, and Harumi looked down into his eyes, the height difference now quite clear, and spoke haltingly, "I know because…because w-who doesn't know of Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the Shodaime and Student of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage and The God of Shinobi."

"True as that may be, you know I have a connection to her. How? No, better yet; why are you here?"

"Y-You know why I'm here," she pleaded.

He pressed his kunai harder into her neck, "Do I?"

"Yes" she shouted, "Because of you!"

"So I'm your target? Is that it?" He twisted her arm now, and she gasped out in pain. It was too easy – he could break it with a fraction more power. She was weak and untrained and there was no way she was a Shinobi. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous. After all, the most powerful thing in this world was information, and she had some. Besides that she was a mysteries, an unknown, and unknowns were dangerous.

"N-N0!" Tears leaked out of her eyes, falling into already salty tracks. "Target is..is the wrong word."

"What would the right word be then?" He roughed her up against the wall, "Well?!"

"Chosen," she sobbed, "Please I'll tell you everything just…just let me go. Please!"

He mulled it over and decided that she couldn't do anything to him seeing as he was so much stronger than her- even with the age difference. He let her go and she slumped against the wall, great heaving sobs wracking her body. It kind of made him feel real bad and guilty because for all intents and purposes she was a civilian. Still, he needed to know.

" Harumi, chosen for what? For that matter, who chose me?"

He was now the one looking down onto her, showcasing just how much power he held over her. Harumi was shivering, but she once again had that look in her eye where she'd decided upon something. He heard her mutter something in a language that was so very foreign, so very alien to his ears. He shivered as he heard her utter the words, "_There's no going back now."_

Harumi then looked at him, eyes imploring "I- I didn't choose you."

"I know, but who did?"

She bit her lip, eyes on the floor. She was silent for a minute and he was about to ask her again when she said, "The Elder."

"The Elder, is he your people's leader?"

She shook her head, slowly dislodging her ponytail, "No. He is not my leader. He is a voice of prophecy – the voice of prophecy, actually."

"A voice of prophecy?" What in the Sage's name did that mean?

"Yes, he is just that a voice. He appears in those legends and stories I told you of. He speaks to those worthy and speaks a prophecy." Ah so a deity for her people, maybe their representation of the Sage?

He went down on his knees and looked into dark eyes, "And this voice, The Elder, spoke of me?"

"Yes, at least…I think so. I've never heard his voice myself, but everyone who has or claims he has writes it down. One such a legend, one such a story, claims that a boy by the name of Jiraiya will become a ninja of great repute." She looked at him now, straight into his eyes, "He will take on a student and this pupil will.." she closed her eyes, pulling the words from the recesses of her mind, " will become the harbinger of a great Revolution in the world of Ninja. They will finally bring peace to the world, or utterly destroy it." She nodded, "That was it."

Harumi was looking at him, and he was looking at her. Seconds ticked by. He squinted at her, head cocked to the side, "And you trust me to believe this bullshit?"

"Well…yeah." Her eyes told no lies, she truly believed he would buy it. He didn't know whether to feel insulted that she even believed him so gullible or feel sorry for her that she herself believed in this bullshit because really, she had no reason to be lying to him with pain and death practically hanging over her head.

"Okay. I'll believe there is a legend with my awesome name in it, hell I'll even believe that it includes a prophecy but I don't believe for second that it pertains to me." He crossed his arms, " Besides you could have just made that up, so give me the name of story and the Author. "

She blinked in surprise, "Masashi Kishimoto, that's the guy who heard this particular prophecy."

"And the Story?"

"Child of Prophecy, " she answered in a heartbeat.

Good, he'd look both of those up later, if they even had something this vague and obscure. Hmm maybe Sarutobi-Sensei knew something. He'd have to ask.

"Okay, and does this story include one of your people being summoned?"

Her eyes shifted to the side, "No…"

Jiraiya nodded, "Thought so. Therefore this prophecy doesn't have anything to do with me, only with a person who shares my name."

"I believe it does, " said Harumi, still looking to the side "but you're right with me in the equation things change."

"Change how?"

Forebodingly she answered, "I don't know, Jiraiya. I don't know." She turned her eyes back on him, "Anyways, you trust me again or still think I'm an assassin who wants to do you in?"

He grinned, "Well , you're certainly not an assassin, that's for sure. Besides even if you were, you couldn't take me down."

She nodded enthusiastically, "Precisely! S-so promise you won't ever do t-that again?"

"I promise."

She shook her head, "That's not good enough. Blood oath."

He raised an eyebrow, "Blood oath?"

"Yes, you cut in your palm and I cut into mine and we shake our hands and then make our promise – our oath. Which, in this case, is to never harm each other. The mingling of blood supposedly makes it unbreakable. It's the highest form of trust where I come from."

Alright, well if that's what it took to get her to trust him than that's what he'd do. Besides, blood was needed for summoning, and seeing as she was a summon it wasn't that unlikely a leap to make. "Alright, let's do this." He cut into his palm, drawing blood. He handed here the Kunai that not moments ago he had been holding against her neck. "Oh, is there any particular phrasing that needs to be done?"

She nodded, "Yeah, just say whatever I say. Oh, and Jiraiya you got a last name?"

"Is that important?"

"Yes, very."

"Kunimori."

With that she cut into her delicate hands, wincing as she drew blood. She held out her hand, and he grasped it. Hers was small and dainty, and was smooth as silk compared to his rough and calloused hands but her grip was strong, for her anyway. He slightly returned the favor.

She spoke and it was with a tone of seriousness, with a heaviness that hadn't held before. It took him a moment to place it; ceremonial, that's what it sounded like. "I, Sato Harumi, swear that as long as I live I will not intentionally harm Kunimori Jiriaya." She nodded to him, signaling that it was his turn.

"I, Kunimori Jiraiya, swear that as long as I live I will not intentionally harm Sato Harumi."

"So I seal this oath," she tightened her grip, eyes staring straight into his soul.

"So I seal this oath," he answered, meeting her head on.

Energy was floating in the air, though neither was very aware of it, too invested and in tune with it. A drop of blood, a mixture of both their life forces, fell from their hands and hit the floor. Unnoticed it blossomed into a design of ink, binding in its power.

* * *

**AN:** And that was Chapter 3, hopefully you enjoyed it. Next time the chapter will be longer, because that'll have more to cover. I think I'm finally getting a feeling of knowing where this is heading. Seriously though, I'll say it again, Kishimoto really fucked up his timeline ugh. Plus he left so much in the open, which for us fanfiction authors is both a blessing and curse.

Kunimori: Kuni from Country and Mori from forrest, so it basically means land of forest or forested land. A fitting name I found, seeing as he's from the land of Fire and all.

Sato: From _sa_ meaning "help" and _to_ meaning "wisteria", the latter syllable indicating a connection to the Fujiwara ("wisteria field") clan.

Cheers,

Ray the Red


	4. Chapter 4: Start of a Routine

_Start of a Routine_

Jiraiya's eyes snapped open as he woke up to the smell of food, egg being the most prominent. This was odd, as he lived alone. He looked at his alarm clock, it was 7:30. Slowly and silently he opened his door and looked into his kitchen/living room and found a humming teenager. A humming teenager who he immediately recognized as Harumi, the girl he'd summoned the day before. She was wearing the red shirt he'd gotten form the depot as well as the brown cargo pants. Her hair was down, instead of in the pony tail it had been yesterday. She looked content, doing this homey task not to mention that it actually smelled pretty good. His stomach agreed with this assessment and let its hunger be known.

She turned around, dark eyes trained on him and a timid smile appeared on her face. "Morning Jiraiya."

It looked like she had slept even less than him, which was given as her world was more shaken than his. Dinner had been the quick and cheap meal of instant shrimp ramen. It had been a rather silent and awkward affair, both of them consumed by deep thoughts. The fact that he'd threatened to kill her earlier that day probably hadn't helped. Eventually he'd broken the silence by offering her his bed, but she'd outright refused it, saying that she'd take the couch because he was already offering her a place to stay. He would have fought for it; propriety and manners and all, but she'd looked at him and said: "It's your bed. Besides, I'll be out of your hair in no time at all." He hadn't had the heart to tell her that it'd probably take it bit more than no time at all. She probably knew that as well and the reason she hadn't accepted was so that she didn't get too close and comfortable in his home.

"Morning Harumi," he replied with a smile of his own, "Smells good." He walked forward, still in his pajamas, which consisted of a black t-shirt and white shorts.

"Thank you," she focused back on the task of making the food, "was the least I could do seeing as you provided me with a place to stay. If you could set the table for two that'd be great, it's almost done." A few minutes later they were once again seated across from each other. She'd made the simple meal of rice, egg and tomatoes and he'd made the green tea that accompanied it. They ate in silence.

"So…"started Harumi once they were both done, "don't you have to train with your team or something?"

He shook his head, "Not today, no. Not in a team capacity at least. Sarutobi-sensei is a busy man, you know."

Her dark eyes widened at the casual reminder that he was being taught by the Hokage. "Right… busy man."

"But, you are right that we need to work out a schedule if you're going to stay here for at least the next few days. Today is Monday, which most of the time means a training day for us, though at times a Chunin will fetch us around noon to do some D-Ranks meaning were done around five or six o'clock - or later, depending on the mission. Thursdays are much the same. The rest of the week Sarutobi-Sensei oversees us. Especially on Saturday; it's the day Sarutobi-sensei absolutely trains us into the ground from six in the morning till nine in the evening, and Sundays are the lesser evil known as the one on one session. Yesterday was Orochimaru's turn meaning he'll be in a foul mood today."

She nodded. "Am I right in assuming then that Mondays and Thursdays are the days upon which you would usually work on your own projects?"

"Yes."

"And seeing as I'm your current project, for lack of better term, you will work on trying to get me home on these two days, yes?"

"I'd suppose so."

"Good that's your end of it, now what about mine. For that matter, am I even allowed to leave your apartment because as far as anyone else is concerned I don't exist?"

She had a point there. At the moment he was the only one who knew of her existence and people were prone to notice the comings and goings of someone as exotic and pretty as her. If not her looks then her accent would definitely garner immediate attention. He also got the subtle jibe at not wanting to be stuck in his crummy apartment for 24 hours at a time.

Then it hit him and he grinned; sometimes the answer was so simple. "You can leave the apartment."

"I can?" A small smile appeared.

"Yes, with a Henge, of course!"

The small smile disappeared and doubt flickered in those dark eyes and suddenly he remembered her panic attack, how that small use of chakra had caused this girl to shatter.

"Right your Chakra, what's up with it," he asked seriously, because as rare as they were Chakra Deficiencies did exist. They were also a very personal matter, and he knew that in some sense he might be over stepping his bounds here.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They snapped open and she spoke softly.

"For as long as I have lived I have never been able to access my Chakra. In fact you could call it a trait of my people, our innate failure to access this energy. A select few can access it and they remind us. We call them divine and enlightened; Buddha's. It is so rare outside of the Temples though that often times we delude ourselves into believing it doesn't exist, that we don't possess Chakra at all. I believed that until yesterday. Yesterday I accessed something I thought I could never attain, but then many things that I thought that could never be happened yesterday."

His mind boggled at the very thought of never being able to access your chakra, but then he thought of all the civilians that inhabited Konoha and how just 7 years ago he hadn't been able to do jack shit with Chakra either. It had been just a word then, a powerful one, but a word nonetheless. Once upon a time he had been just like her, willing something unseen to do his bidding only in his case it had answered.

He felt her chakra, it was there. It always had been. "Can you feel it now, then?"

Once more she closed her eyes and a few seconds passed. "Yes," she whispered reverently, a serene smile etched upon her face. "It kept me up most of the night you know. It is so warm, and for all that it is new it feels so familiar, so….natural."

"Can you move it?"

"I think so."

"Then make it move. Increase its speed like your heart increases in beats when you run."

She nodded. He felt it speed up, felt it activate for the first time and he heard her gasp as the power that had always been hers flooded throughout her body. He smiled and wondered if he had looked like that the first time.

"Now keep that tempo for about two minutes and then try moving it in the opposite direction, into your stomach instead of away from." She nodded.

120 seconds passed, and he felt the shift before he saw it. She grimaced, and he understood all too well why. Going with the current was easy – it was natural, instinctual even – but going against it was a feat that was not as easy. The Chakra system didn't entirely like it either, but it was a lesson in control. It was what would eventually allow you to remove as much of your Chakra presence as was naturally possible.

He let her do that for 30 seconds and when he saw sweat appear on her brow he said: "Now send it back out, but instead of just circulating it try moving to the palm of your right hand." Again she nodded and she held open her palm. He watched with avid interest, because so far she was doing really well.

Almost as well as him; he hadn't been chosen to learn under Sarutobi Hiruzen by pure chance.

Tsunade had been chosen for not only her name but also her already insane Chakra control, Orochimaru for his intellect which rivaled that of his teacher, and Jiraiya had been chosen because of his natural use of Chakra, of how easy manipulation came to him. Sure the control and amounts were not innate to him, but he'd always found that his Chakra called to him. It begged to be used.

"Imagine that you're cupping a bit of water, except that the water is your Chakra."

Harumi's seemed to sing the same tune, if only because it had never been used before. He grinned as he saw the slight bleu shimmer appear in the middle of her palm after only a few minutes. It was a small, spectral oval in the middle of her hand; a wavering tattoo of sorts. He watched as it pulsed and grew slightly in size, covering a bit more of her palm.

"Open your eyes."

She did and the smile that adorned her face was the truest one yet. They watched as the oval grew until it covered all of her palm and then dissipated. She giggled as it did. Harumi looked up from her hand; her dark eyes alight with happiness. He was wearing a grin of his own, her happiness contagious.

She stood up and moved towards him, her lips upturned. She stood in front of him and bent down. His eyes widened as he felt her lips touch his forehead. A flush covered his face as suddenly dark chocolate eyes met his charcoal ones. "Thank you, Jiraiya." The flush got more severe.

She sat back down, at first eyes watching him intently to see if he'd react in any way reminiscent of the day before – checking if she hadn't just crossed some line - but he just stared at her with big eyes and slowly a satisfied and somewhat amused smirk on her face. She hummed for a bit, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye whilst he flustered in silence because he'd never been kissed on the forehead before. Not by anyone other than his mother and that had been a long, long time ago.

He wanted to act all cool, to wave it off like it was nothing but it wasn't. When was the last time someone had been that sincere with him? When was the last time someone had been that joyously affectionate to him? Not on his team, and certainly not outside of that. Sure, it had been spontaneous and probably brought on by the endorphins and adrenaline that suddenly rushed into her system, which was better known as a 'chakra high' but it carried so much weight. The gesture was so civilian not to mention familial, both things that he only retained in vague childhood memories. Not only that but it was a sign of trust, of forgiveness and both were things he had not expected. Frankly, he was blown away by it all. That she was beautiful was just a bonus, really.

"So Sensei," she said teasingly, interrupting his train of thought, "going to teach me the Henge so I can go out and about?"

He collected himself; shaking off the spell she'd kind put him under. "Yes. Yes, I will."

He didn't realize it yet as he spoke to her about the basics of the first Jutsu he had ever learned to do, but it was the start of a routine.

* * *

**Chakra High: **See it as the 'runners high' of this universe, except that it only happens the first few times you acces your Chakra. As time goes on the effects fade and become smaller and smaller each time as your body gets used to the Chakra actually being active.

**AN: **I know it been fricking forever, but life happenened and all that I was writing just didn't come out right. This chapter has been rewritten like four times as well as that other ideas just keep popping up all over the shop. In any case, now that this has come out right I'm going to see if my bigger projects also come out as I want them to be. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter by the way.

Cheers,

Ray the Red


	5. Chapter 5: The First Lesson

_The First Lesson_

"The most of important not to mention the hardest part of the Henge isn't forming the image, or even maintaining it, but to add the vocal component to it. It's important in general because infiltration is more about acting than it is about the actual illusion, but for you this especially important considering your accent and all. So, that's what we'll be practicing; how to change your voice without the aid of chakra and with. The better you are at changing it without, the easier it will be with the help of your chakra."

"Huh, who would've thought that broadening ones vocal range would be part of the Ninja curriculum? Does that mean that you have a great singing voice?"

"Ha, no, I wish. I still suck, even with the aid of chakra. Though, to be fair, I am better than both Orochimaru and Tsunade, but then that's not a major accomplishment when neither of them have any interest in anything remotely civilian. I have to grant Hime this though; she is the best at changing her vocal pitch because her control is so damn fine."

"Ah, so it's one of the things where control is the key."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, as it is with fine tuning anything that's that delicate. Generally the rule is: the more complex and brittle the biology, the better your control has to be if you want to augment it. There's a reason sending chakra to your eyes is almost never done unless you have a doujutsu; an overdose and you could end up blind. "

Harumi pulled a face. "Ouch! Does that mean I can lose my voice?"

"It's probably possible, but I haven't _heard_ anyone mention it." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "Get it?"

She rolled her eyes, but he saw the slight curl of her lips. "Yes, Jiraiya-san, I get it. Seriously though, can it happen?"

He shook his head. "No, it's an unusual place to send chakra and there's only one Tenkestu situated there, so the amount that you can delegate there from the start is very little. Plus, very small amount of nerve endings when you compare it to things like the eyes and nose."

Relief filled her dark eyes. "Good, good. Don't really want to be mute. So, what we start with?"

"Well, all that talk about tenketsu got me thinking and not going to start off with the vocals just yet; first up is breathing. Not only is it good for this, but also meditation, which I'm also assigning you because that's how you learn to find your core. Is it boring as all hell? Yes, but even I have to admit that it pays off; you'll be able to regulate your flow better and better as time goes on. Chakra, at the end of the day, is always about equilibrium and balance."

A sigh escaped her lips, and some of the excitement left her eyes. "Guess I should've expected this, having to start from the very beginning."

He chuckled. "I know the feeling, Harumi-san, believe me. Honestly, I can't believe I'm about to quote Sensei, but 'the basics are where you begin, however, you do well to remember that one day it might be these very basics that will save your life."

"Alright, that's solid advice. Now teach me the correct way to breath, as apparently I've been doing it wrong my whole life."

And so it was that for the next half hour they spent time learning to properly breathe whilst standing, as well as when sitting in the correct meditation pose. It turned out Harumi had never really meditated before, only having done it once when visiting a temple, so he got to teach her the Siddhasana pose, the pose everyone in the academy had started off with.

He was pretty relaxed in his Full Lotus pose, looking through lidded eyes how her chest went up and down (if he was honest this focused him better than that stupid flame ever had). Every so often she fidgeted, and clear annoyance would flash across her features, but she was resolute and didn't open her eyes.

He had instructed her to find her core, or as it was officially called, the Gate of View and work on from there. She'd already shown earlier that morning that she could control a small amount of her chakra network, but that had been all mental effort; just like the blood that ran in their veins, the chakra that ran through their body was never still, and thus the small amount had already been there. So, she'd not so much sent chakra to her palm, as pulled up the small residue that was already there. Not that'd he'd tell her that.

Some ten minutes later there was a knock on the door, and both of their eyes flew open wide. Right, what now? Another knock came, and he shouted towards the door, "Coming!"

He pointed towards his room, and she nodded, and tip toed in that direction. He in the meanwhile stood up and answered the door, though before opening it he checked to see if Harumi was well out of sight.

Hagoromo-san, one of the regular Chunin who delivered his missions, greeted him.

"Morning, Jiraiya-san, got a mission for you. This one's a solo D-rank, as per the Hokage's orders, and I don't envy you in the slightest." The grin that stretched across his square face was full of humor, accenting the large scar that marred his left cheek. One of these days he'd ask the man how he'd gotten it, there had to a good story behind it.

Jiraiya sighed, another solo mission. That had been the way as of late, Sarutobi-sensei tasking them with missions they'd done a million times together, now having to be completed on their own. Apparently it was supposed to build character and cater responsibility, but he just saw it as punishment. This was mostly because D-ranks were boring and annoying when it was the three of them, alone it was even more so the case.

He took the scroll and read it and promptly groaned out loud when he read the name at the top: Soga.

Yes, the Soga clan, one of the noble civilian clans that resided within Konoha. If he remembered correctly they were even an off shoot of the Daimyo's family. Very powerful, very rich, and very well connected, but Kami be damned if they weren't the most arrogant bunch of people anyone could ever hope to meet. Extravagant to the extreme, too, their residence an enormous mansion that was as lavish on the outside as it was on the inside. Honestly, it was impossible to miss and had thus not only become one of Konoha's main landmarks, but the icon of wealth as well.

Their obscene display of wealth was enough to generate dislike on its own, but it was their elitist and entitled demeanor that caused them to be despised by the whole Shinobi population. True, the arrogance and elitism of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga was also legendary, but they had the bite to back up their bark. All the Soga had was their money.

If the rumor mill was to be believed the upper echelon of the clan was more bearable, if only because most of them had lived through the First World War. Still, the elitism was present even there, as they only employed people from and backed by famous clans. He'd only had the one interaction with them due to who his Sensei was, to further prove that point.

Hell, most of the time they hired high Chunin or even Jounin for escorts. Though, to be fair, it did make sense, as they were political figures who played a role in the capitol when it came down to it, so you couldn't really begrudge them for their favoritism. No, it was the younger generation that was responsible for their ill gained reputation.

He, like every Genin, knew them, despised them and had entertained fantasies of killing them. See, these young nobles had not only the guts to treat them like servants, but to also look down on them. The smarter ones largely ignored them and looked at them like they were dirt, which was in fact very much preferred to the subtle digs that the braver and more spoiled ones slung around. Not to even mention some of the children, who had no filter whatsoever. In any case, it was a trying experience no matter who you got saddled with. The only reason no one had actually murdered them was because they were a good source of income for the whole of Konoha.

Their missions were often seen as a lesson in humility, propriety, patience, and noble etiquette. Indeed there were a multitude of tasks that they as Genin were employed for by the Soga, ranging from babysitting to helping out in the garden, or unloading a shipment of gaudy furniture. The worst by far was babysitting, and the best was gardening. He'd gotten the most important, if boring and tiresome task: helping out at a few tea ceremonies.

"Great," he groused and Hagoromo's smile only widened. "Yeah, you laugh it up, but at the very least I'm not stuck doing paper work all day."

"Fair enough, Jiraiya-san, fair enough. Enjoy those Tatami floors, man!" And with that the man flickered away.

"Screw you too," he yelled after the Chunin.

Still grumbling he reentered his apartment. He'd really rather be doing anything else than this particular D-rank, and Sarutobi-sensei knew it too. When it was the three of them, he was at least content knowing that Orochimaru and Tsunade had to sit through the same hell as him; alone he'd have to face the subtle jigs that they'd never dare lob at the Senju Heiress or the last Himura. It really wasn't fair. He hoped they'd gotten missions just as rotten and ill-suited.

"You can come out Harumi-san, he's gone." She came out of his room, hair now back in the pony tail and took a seat on his lumpy couch.

"So, I kind of heard you got yourself a D-rank. What do you have to do, or is that classified?"

He scoffed and took a seat next to her. "Oh no, this is far from classified. I can easily tell you what my mission is without any penalty whatsoever. I've got to pour tea for obnoxious nobles as they have meeting with either other nobles or business partners. It is boring as anything, and I've got to not only be dressed the part but also act it."

A grin lit up her face. "Oh that sounds fun."

He gave her a look. "It really isn't."

"Oh no, pouring tea for these nobles sounds like a hassle. Now, watching _you_ pour tea for these nobles whilst not trying to kill them and act all proper like, _that_ sounds like fun!"

"It takes so much effort, you have no idea."

She laughed. "Ha, I bet! Maybe some more meditation will get you ready for it?"

"I wish I had the time, but I got to get ready soon. It's from 10:30 onwards, and formal wear is a bitch to put on."

A dainty eyebrow was raised. "You own something formal?"

It was his turn to grin. "You'd be surprised, Harumi-san. Not only is it formal, I look damn good in it!"

"Then by all means, Jiraiya-san, impress and dazzle me."

He stood up, and started to walk towards his bathroom. Looking over his shoulder with a grin he replied, "I will do exactly that. I also have to smell the part, and as such I've got to take a shower. Care to join me?"

"Ha, in your dreams!"

"Exactly, how did you know?"

He ducked as the only couch pillow he owned was thrown in his direction. "Just take your stupid shower, you perv!"

* * *

Having showered and put on his dark brown kimono, red obi and dark green Haori – the same golden designs on the collar as his usual garb - he stepped out of his room. If he were richer everything he was wearing right now would be made of silk instead of soft cotton and he'd probably also own a hakama. Orochimaru owned all that shit, which wasn't too surprising, the once upon a time rising Himura Clan having been way richer than his parents had ever been.

He vividly remembered the first time he'd ever gone over to the Soga. He'd been eight, wearing a Yukata, thinking it formal enough and _oh boy_ had he been wrong. Tsunade, truly living up to her nickname by wearing not only make up but also a beautiful red Kimono with a pattern of leaves on it as well as her clan sigil, had been appalled. Orochimaru, usually not fussed about looks, had donned a fucking Montuki Kimono, proudly displaying the Himura sigil three times. He had never quite felt as out of place and reminded of his station in life as he had then.

Thankfully Sensei had saved the day, quickly bringing and helping him into a kimono he'd worn when young. It had fit surprisingly well considering, and was the only time he'd ever worn silk. Given who he was in company of, they actually learned how to pour tea along with the Heir of the Soga, a chubby boy of 10 named Ryusei, who he'd never meet again.

Afterwards his teacher had offered it to him, but he had obstinately refused, knowing full well that he'd worn the Sarutobi Sigil that day and his pride wouldn't allow that to happen again. It was a form of charity, and he'd be damned if the next time it was Orochimaru who was the one offering him a silk Kimono. He couldn't remember for the life of him what he'd originally been saving for at the time, but he'd immediately spent all that money on formal wear that he could afford. He'd spent another clout of money a year ago on his current attire, the other one way too small.

"And, my fair lady, is this dazzling enough for you?"

She looked up from the mission scroll, apparently having taken a look at the thing. She looked him over twice, before saying, "Not dazzling, but you weren't wrong when you said it looked good on you. Your Obi is tied all wrong though, here let me fix it up for you."

And indeed she fixed it, pulling it real nice and tight. It reminded him of why he hated these clothes; they were restricting as anything. "That's better. Now you're close to perfect, all you honestly need is a Haori-himo and you'd be set."

"Right, that stupid string." He ran back into his room and clipped it on. "Is this better?"

"Yep, perfect. Look at you being a gentleman, its adorable."

He puffed up his chest. "Excuse me, I think you mean gallant."

"Adorably gallant," she replied.

"I'll take that." He grabbed up the mission scroll and said, "Alright, I'd better be off as I really don't want to be late and give the Soga any more reason to chew me off."

"No, wouldn't want that," she agreed, "but what time do think you'll be back?"

He gave it some thought. "Probably around 7 or so, but you never know with those nobles. Stuff always drags on with them. Anyway, I've got some Miso stashed away in the kitchen and plenty of rice. Some meat in the fridge, if I remember correctly, and some vegetables too, so it should be enough for dinner. No need to wait or cook for me by the way, if I'm lucky the kitchen staff will have something for me, and if not there's enough stalls open for a quick meal on the way back."

"Alright, what can I do in the mean time? Can't go outside and I'm not going to be meditating for hours on end, so is it cool if I read some of the books scattered around?"

He shrugged. "Pick whatever you like, I've even got some academy books left over, which could help you out. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me. I'll see you around seven then, Jiraiya-san."

"Yeah, till then!" And with a wave he left his apartment, immediately jumping up on the roof opposite and bounding off to the south, where he could already see the large building peek out above the rest.

* * *

Evening had fallen, the moon a sliver high in a clear sky. He was thoughtfully eating some takoyaki as he leisurely walked his way back home. Out of the five ceremonies he had been forced to serve at only the two had stood out from what was the norm.

The first meeting of the day had been one of the most trying experiences he'd had so far when it concerned the Soga. These four were teenage girls were of the bolder variety, and in his opinion also the stupider variety, because the snide comments they were throwing his way about how he was doing a poor job of serving them their tea, as well as that his way of dress was "befitting his station", weren't subtle in the slightest.

It showcased how much of a buffer his teammates had been when they'd been assigned this particular task, and it was plainly obvious these girls were trying to get a rise out of him. A year ago he would have snapped, but now he just kept everything bottled in. It wouldn't do to release even a sliver of killer intent, and it was a miracle that he hadn't poured the delicious smelling blossom tea all over the jewelry covered bitches. Thoughts of doing so though, with Harumi heartily laughing, were honestly what got him through it. The crack in the handle of the tea pot was the only indication that he'd almost lost his temper.

For two hours they gossiped on, about the latest fashion trends and affairs that took place in the mansion and in the capitol, throwing around so many unknown names that even if he paid attention he lost track of the story at some point or another. At the very least if he was ever assigned the gardening duties he was going to chat up this Soma-san and tell him that Airi Soga had the hots for him and that he should try and bed her.

The next three were less degrading, but just as boring and tiring, as they were also small socialite gatherings. No, it was the last ceremony that he attended that stood out from all the others because it was a proper meeting. The first change was that took place in much smaller and obviously more private tea room on the floor above.

It introduced him to two men, both of whom looked quite serious. The dark haired one was obviously the Soga, and the bald man with the beard, who wore clothes just as fine, was clearly of importance. In what was one of the rare security checks he had to present his mission scroll whilst already inside the mansion, confirming he was supposed to be here. All of this together had greatly piqued his interest, and he listened avidly as the two men talked for the following hours.

The two nobles were largely content to ignore him, if and when they addressed him it was as "Genin-san". They talked about the booming trade as of late and how they wanted to increase their influence in Rice as well as Grass, and eventually, after some actually interesting politics were thrown around, it came down to the matter at hand: a lady in Grass had come of age, and was to be betrothed. Kammu-dono, the Soga, congratulated Bando-dono, who turned out to be another Fire noble, with securing it for his son. Talk of a few Iwa lords looking to do the same in Taki was started, and how to best counteract such things. A glance in his direction was the silent and only mention of the Shinobi aspect of global politics.

Now, he wasn't as stupid as Tsunade made him out to be, he understood the implications of that just fine. Betrothals of nobles happened all the time, sure, but that was within their own nations. The last time a marriage that had crossed borders had taken place was the Shodaime and the Lady of Uzugakure.

It was a testament to the peace and prosperity that had come after the First World War that nobles were even entertaining the notion of marriage across nations. More than that though, it was a bold statement and a power play like no other as it would tie Grass closer to the land of Fire than any treaty could, when and if the marriage went through. That, more than anything, was what if came down to: if the marriage went through. As anyone who was anyone knew, in world full of ninja, things they didn't like tended to be rather short lived.

Soon enough he was home and he found Harumi lying on his couch, reading the second year book on Chakra (the first year one back at the orphanage, if he wasn't mistaken). She looked up when he entered and put down the book to greet him.

"And, how was it? As taxing as you thought it would be?"

He took off his Haori and waved at her to move over. She did, and he plopped down next to her.

"Yeah, it went about as expected for the most part, snide comments and all. One ceremony is tiring enough; five of them is absolutely killer. Honestly, I don't know what Sensei was smoking when he assigned me this bullshit because I had to sit in Seiza for hours! I wore these stuffy and layered clothes, which he knows I hate!"

"You're sure you haven't somehow pissed him off and this is his form of punishment? Also, you didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"It could be a punishment, but I honestly think this is him just being sadistic. Also, sadly, all the Soga are still alive. Oh I wanted to pour tea over some of them so bad though, you have no idea."

She smiled. "I think I've got some idea. Good on you, though, for being the better man."

He crossed his arms and said petulantly, "Well, being the better man sucks. Today sucked. The last meeting being interesting doesn't make up for the rest."

He didn't need to look to know she'd rolled her eyes. "Regale me with what made the last one so interesting because my day was probably more boring than yours. I mean, I cleaned up this place even though it was far from messy, just because I wanted something to do. Also, if anything sucks, it's your shower."

He looked at her then, all his annoyance pushed back as he processed that she, a beautiful teenager, had been naked within his apartment and he hadn't been there to witness it. That she had stood under his shitty shower, with its very limited and sporadic supply of warm water, in his small bathroom. That she had been covered in only water droplets and some steam. That she had used his towels and his shampoo. That this was reality, not some wacked up fantasy and that the chance of this happening again was large.

"Fair enough, Harumi-san, fair enough." It took much indeed to not say anything else.

"That's what I thought. Now, what was so interesting about that last meeting?"

And so he told her, explained it all over some Miso - he'd seen quite enough tea for the day.

She looked thoughtful, a slight crease present above her nose. "Maybe that's why the Hokage assigned it to you though."

"What?"

"Not only as a way to teach you etiquette and what not, but to also make you realize that these boring ass things can hold good or sensitive information. For example, they probably wouldn't have said it in front of an heir like Tsunade-san, right? It's also likely a lesson on how patience is a virtue that is rewarded, I think, otherwise why put you through the other four?"

"That…makes a lot of sense, actually. He's mentioned before how fame isn't everything, and can sometimes be more of a hassle than anything. Not to mention that he loves his speeches about patience. Besides, there's no way me serving at that particular meeting was coincidence; he knew."

"I think there's very little the Hokage doesn't know."

"This is true."

They shared a smile, neither saying out loud that as of right now, she was one such thing.

* * *

**Himura Clan: **A once up coming clan that got decimated in the First World War. Orochimaru is the last one left. They are not the only clan to meet this fate, some completely wiped out.

**AN: **So, it has been a damn long while, but here's something. It's not the chapter I expected to write, but it is the one that got written and I hope you enjoy it. The next one is already underway too, so thats all well and good! I could apologize, but honeslty by now we all know that I am one hell of a unreliable updater. Just know that none of these stories are dead, just...slow as all fucking hell.

Oh, and as you've no doubt noticed I've added the honorifics this chapter, and I plan to add them in on the already posted chapters as well, just because thats what would happen culturally speaking. Let me know what you think of it.

Also here's a link about Kimono's and all their little parts: www . wafuku . co . uk /kimonoinfo3 . htm (just remove the spaces)

If you've got any questions, feel free to ask away!

Cheers,

Ray the Red


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